JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo

Ranger 1

Ranger 1

Ranger 1, the first of a series of nine spacecraft launched in the early 1960s to explore the moon, was a test spacecraft built as a prelude to future lunar missions.

Mission Statistics

Launch Date

Aug. 23, 1961

Type

Orbiter

Target

Earth

Status

Past

About the mission

Ranger 1, the first of a series of nine spacecraft launched in the early 1960s to explore the moon, was a test spacecraft built as a prelude to future lunar missions. It was designed to make a highly elliptical Earth orbit and carried several science instruments for studying cosmic rays, magnetic fields and energetic particles.

During launch, a rocket malfunction caused the spacecraft to get stranded in low-Earth orbit, and one week after launch, it burned up upon reentering Earth's atmosphere.

Instruments

  • Lyman-alpha telescope
  • Magnetometer
  • Electrostatic analyzer
  • Cosmic ray detector
  • Cosmic dust detector
  • Scintillation counters

More about Solar System

News .

Engineers Keep an Eye on Fuel Supply of NASA’s Oldest Mars Orbiter

News .

NASA’s Magellan Data Reveals Volcanic Activity on Venus

News .

Study Finds Ocean Currents May Affect Rotation of Europa’s Icy Crust

News .

Study Finds Venus’ ‘Squishy’ Outer Shell May Be Resurfacing the Planet

Image .

Radar Observations of Elongated Near-Earth Asteroid 2011 AG5

News .

NASA’s NuSTAR Telescope Reveals Hidden Light Shows on the Sun

Image .

Three-Telescope View of the Sun

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot

News .

NASA’s Juno Team Assessing Camera After 48th Flyby of Jupiter

News .

NASA’s Psyche Mission Continues Preparation for Launch in 2023

› Fact Sheet
› Ranger 1 Information on JPL 101
› Ranger 1 Information on Solar System Exploration
› Ranger 1 Information on National Space Science Data Center

Explore Other Missions

Galileo

Genesis

Dawn

Cassini-Huygens

Europa Clipper

Europa Lander

GRAIL

Juno

Infrared Astronomical Satellite

Magellan

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018